Making a point

The jazz sound was cool and easy when Bonnie Pointer took the microphone and cooed Aretha Franklin’s vintage “Chain of Fools” Wednesday night at Jax Bar & Grill in Glendale.

The rare club appearance was touted as a live workout of recording session material Pointer is considering for a CD. Included in the first set were “Misty,” “Going to Kansas City,” Cole Porter’s “Night and Day” and Van Morrison’s “Moondance.”

Both the songstress, in a sultry gold-beaded gown, and her fans said they were getting used to the reversal from high-energy Pointer Sisters favorites like “I’m So Excited” and “Jump (For My Love)” to standards from the 1930s and ’40s mixed with golden oldies from the 1960s and ’70s.

While La Crescenta resident Toshiko Lei heard many of her favorite songs, she missed those the Pointers made famous in the early 1970s, she said.

“All the songs she sang tonight I loved,” Lei said. “She sang all my favorites, especially ‘Misty’ from the Clint Eastwood movie. That fast rhythm was the only thing missing tonight.”

Glendale resident David Rubin and his son, Justin, secured first-row seats.

“She was excellent,” David Rubin said.

“By herself, she was able to command a very fine, strong delivery and it was constant throughout. There was a good variety of songs, and she carried it well.”

Pointer’s appearance at Jax created a buzz that manager Enrique Cervantes said he hasn’t seen in years.

“It was great,” he said.

“It’s brought Jax to life again, like the old days in the 1980s. We had crowds like this every day. We still do some nights, but tonight was really special.”

After finishing the first set, Pointer said the feeling in the room was relaxed, as she tried to sing songs that were easy on the palate.

“I’m singing songs that allow them to eat their meals, keeping up an easy-to-swallow music,” she said. “It’s a whole new thing for me. I’m used to high energy. This is my first time in a small club. I’m used to doing concerts with thousands of people. But I’m enjoying it. Everyone is smiling.”